Exercising device



Oct. 1, 1946. ,THBELUNG q I 2,408,597

EXERCISING DEVICE Filed July 13, 1945 Patented Oct. 1, 1946 UNITED}STATES v PATENT OFFICE. v

'rhebaere H. Belling, Barrington, RQL, natal-a I Fram Corporation; a corporation of-Rhode 15-1 if Ap li ii fiul s, 1945, Serial No. 604,747

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an exercising device for a person who has not complete use of the body, more particularly the leg, by reason of some injury.

Another object of this invention is to provide a dgvidce which may be used while a person is lying 1n e reclaims. (01. 272-57) base lfifand into the Another object of this invention is to provide a device by which the amount of resistance to movement of the leg may be varied.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which will movev inaccordance withthe length of radius of the are over which the leg is moved.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described and par- I ticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating th devlce as mounted upon a fragmental portion of a bed, and showing fragmentally a persons foot as positioned in the device.

Figure 2 is an elevation of the device alone.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of end portion of the track, with the carriage mounted thereon.

In proceeding with this invention, I provide a track, which may be mounted upon the bed and upon which track there is a carriage upon which the foot of the user may rest and which will support the foot above the bed so that the carriage may be moved along the track by manipulation of the leg of the user. An arrangement is provided whereby a greater or lesser resistance to movement of the leg is provided.

With reference to the drawing, I0 designates generally a bedfhaving a foot board frame II.

slots I8 in the opposite flanges. A runway ortrack, consisting of sections 20 and 2i, hinged at the center at 22, is attached to the bars I9 so that the sections of the track may be raised from the base It a desired amount, and supported by a block 23, which is positioned beneath their junction at the hinge 22. By this arrangement the sections 2!] and 2| may be raised a desired amount, to provide the angular inclination which may be found desirable and supported in this position by a block :5 of the desired height. For instance, a 2" x 3" block 23 might be rotated through 90 from the position shown in Figure 2, so that a different height of the block would be eifective.

A carriage designated generally 25, consists of a platform 26 having an upstanding U-shaped rest 2'! with side walls 28 and 29, which may carry a cushion 30 within this U-shaped' formation so as to receive the leg I2. Wheels as and 3| are provided on one side of the platform 26 and wheels 32 and 33 are provided'on the other side of the platform 26. These wheels are arranged on axles 34 and 35 which converge so that the carriage in its normal movement along the surface of the track sections 20 and 2| will move on the arc of a circle whose radius is substantially the length of the leg, or the distance from the hip joint to the heel. As the leg is swung sideways to exercise the same, the carriage will take a movement back and forth on an are so that it will not slide out from beneath the foot as this movement occurs. The inclination will be selected so that some pressure is required to swing the leg up 'the incline of the section 2i from the position shown in Figure l or 2, and then the leg may move down the incline of the section 20.

In order to arrest the movement of the carriage at the ends of the track, I provided abutments The foot I2 of the user of the device is shown as I 3B and 31 which are cushioned as at 38 along their inner surface, and these abutments also con verge so that they will be at right angles to the arc of swing of the carriage as it engages either one of the abutments at the end of its travel. Thus both wheels 82, 33 or 30, M will engage the abutment at the same time, and no tendency to shift the carriage from the are over which it travels will occur.

In order that the leg I2 will not enga e the track when in a raised position, Icut back the near edge of the track along the arc 48 through a length suflicient to clear the leg as moved along the track.

I claim:

1. An exercising device comprising a carriage shaped to receive the foot of the user and support the leg when lying prone, rolling means supporting said carriage and arranged to direct said carriage on the arc of a circle having a radius substantially the length of the leg.

2. An exercising device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said carriage is U-shape providing side walls against which the foot may press to roll th carriage.

3. An exercising device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said rolling means comprises wheels whose axles converge toward the user.

4. An exercising device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said rolling means comprises four wheels, two of which have the same rotative axis and said axes converge toward the user.

5. An exercising device as set forth in claim 1 wherein a track is provided over which said carriage moves.

6. An exercising device as set forth in claim 1 wherein a track is provided. over which said carriage moves and said track is inclined to the horizontal in the direction of travel of the car riage.

'7. An exercising device as set forth in claim 1 wherein a track is provided over which said carriage moves and said track is inclined to the horizontal on either side of its mid point.

8. An exercising device as set forth in claim 1 wherein a track is provided over which said carriage' moves and said track is inclined to the horizontal on either side of its mid point with the mid point the highest.

9. An exercising device as set forth in claim 1 wherein a track is provided over which said carriage moves with abutments provided at the ends of the track.

10. An exercising device as set forth in claim 1 wherein a track is provided over which said carriage moves with abutments provided at the ends of the track said abutments extending along a radius having substantially the arc of said circle over which said rolling means act.

THEODORE H. BELLING. 

